Why We Should Choose Paper-filtered Coffee?

Coffee is available in different varieties and blends. Its taste could also change depending on the preparation methods. It can be mixed with different kinds of additional ingredients, such as flavoured syrups, sugar, full fat milk, cream, chocolate and others. There are many different coffee combinations and concoctions that we can find in the market. Many people consume coffee without really thinking about its possible health risks. With proper adjustments, it should be quite possible to enjoy coffee freely without getting the associated health risks. As an example, we could use safe artificial sweeteners, instead of sugar. There are plenty of debates, regarding the effects of caffeine to our health. It is widely understood that coffee can be detrimental to our health and it may indeed be quite harmful. It is not only about coffee, but also how we should prepare it. There are many studies performed to study the effects of coffee on thousands of people. It appears that coffee has positive effects, by reducing the level of LDL cholesterol if we drink more than 3 cups each day.

Diterpenes is a type of lipid found in coffee and it has been shown to have good effects on our serum cholesterol levels. There are two forms of diterpenes, kahweol and cafestol, both are fat soluble. These substances can be filtered effectively using filter paper. In specific types of coffee, such as Espresso Americano, French Press Plunger and Boiled Turkish, the level of cafestol can be quite significant. It is shown that with daily consumption of cafestol, the level of cholesterol could be elevated by about 5mg/dL. Cappuccinos that’s usually made with a shot of heated milk and espresso coffee could also increase the level of serum cholesterol in our body, because it isn’t filtered using paper. In any case, crema could form on the espresso and in any case, Americano-style coffee, could contain more fat or lipid. In this case, we should look for ways to quickly identify the method of preparation, to make sure that we consume the right type of coffee. In any case, filtered coffee has pure black appearance, smoother with much fewer particulates and with no crema.

The level of diterpene in coffee could vary significantly, such as 1.5mg per cup for Espresso to 3.9mg per cup for Turkish Coffee. By consuming about 5 cups of Espresso each day, the serum cholesterol levels in our body could increase by 4mg/dL and with the same number of cups, Turkish coffee could increase the serum cholesterol level by about 10 mg/dL. It appears that paper filter has negligible effects on diterpene levels. In the past few decades, more and more people in Finland switch to filtered variant, instead of the regular boiled variant. As a result, cases of cardiovascular mortality have been significantly reduced. Based on these studies, it is preferred to consume the filtered type of coffee to reduce the possible negative effects on our cholesterol levels. When making plunger style or espresso coffee at home, we should use coffee maker that has a filter paper.